By Neal Chamberlain
One BYU graduate''s extensive traveling has led him not only to London and the Netherlands, but also a place he calls his Meosphere. Forget cramming suitcases with little shampoo bottles and an inflatable pillow. Meosphere is a quick trip with the click of a mouse.
Meosphere.com was created by Eric Eliason to encourage people to turn away from living a virtual online life. The Web site is a place to record and promote personal experiences so they are not forgotten.
'Everything around Meosphere revolves around your first life,' Eliason said. 'What we like to do is see people make decisions to have great experiences because there are a lot of great things that can happen in the non-virtual world.'
More than 2,000 checklists are made available for users to browse through and mark off as they are completed. A list of things to do before time in this life is up, such as heli-skiing, may also be included in a person''s Meosphere.
'The thing about this Web site is that to have a great Meosphere you have to go and do something,' Eliason said. 'It takes you outside of Meosphere itself.'
David Blake, 23, an economics graduate from BYU, said the site''s intended purpose makes it unique from other popular sites like Myspace and Facebook. Blake, who has assisted Eliason with Meosphere''s marketing for about a year, said sites like Facebook are pure social networking, while Meosphere is hobbyist networking.
'The biggest difference with Meosphere is that it is not intended to be an online community,' Blake said. 'It''s a way of keeping track of your genuine interests and hobbies that happen out in the real world instead of always being on the Internet.'
Meosphere''s name is spreading with users in all 50 states and over 60 countries. Most users are between the ages of 18 and 34, and use the site to 'share and compare.' However, older generations are using Meosphere to document their lives.
'Our site is more complimentary to social networking sites as opposed to being a competition to those sites,' Eliason said.
BYU students are among those using Meosphere''s personal journal capabilities. Blake said that he and some friends began marketing the site by word of mouth and through postings on Facebook.
'We''ve seen it buzz around the Facebook scene,' Blake said. 'Now the same people that enjoy Facebook say they''re enjoying Meosphere.'
Blake said Meosphere is a particularly good fit for BYU, because a lot of students are hobbyists and involved with extracurricular activities. Tailored checklists have been created specifically for BYU students to log things such as their missions, favorite temples, and memorable Provo activities.
While Meosphere is growing and receiving positive national attention, some students at BYU are concerned the site will have negative effects.
Cathy Crowder, 22, a senior studying linguistics, said she is concerned the site may harm people''s self-esteem.
'I think a lot of people will just waste time surfing it, looking to see what their friends have done and just end up comparing themselves saying, ''Oh, well, I haven''t done that. I guess I''m not as cool as they are,''' Crowder said. 'I can see a drawback in self-esteem.' Crowder said Meosphere may be a good way to keep track of personal experiences, but those experiences should be kept personal and not used to make social comparisons.